Animals As Leaders - 'The Brain Dance'

Animals As Leaders are famous for good reason. There are few people in the world who can exhibit such a mastery of their craft as Tosin Abasi, a modern guitar legend. Their new album The Madness Of Many is out November 11, and the first single from it is 'The Brain Dance'.

Their unique blend of incredible playing and djent comes to an interesting crossroads in 'The Brin Dance'. The song actually begins with an acoustic nylon guitar, plucked with mind boggling brilliance as drums and bass slowly start joining the mix. The nylon guitar eventually becomes the band's signature electric guitar, performed with a mix of slap and plucks. The song then concludes as it began, peacefully with one final chord on the acoustic and bass.

The beauty of the song is that it truly emits fascinating imagery with only instruments, and guitar and drums at that. It doesn't need heavy, djent riffs downtuned to Drop A to be impactful; in fact, it's not wrong to say the acoustic guitar performance has more of an impact than the detuned guitars would. 'The Brain Dance' invigorates the mind as it tries to follow the sweet guitars and the jazzy vibes. The aesthetic and atmosphere of the song are pure and show the band's talent isn't limited to trudging, sludgy riffs with spidery guitar above. The talent lies in the playing itself - every element of the song soars in their own delicate dance.

Animals As Leaders are a different force on the block. There's nothing quite as evocative as they are in the format in which they perform in. The beautiful playing is sometimes heavy, but when it's softer and jazzier there is not complaint. This band is full of legendary players with underappreciated talent, and their next album is bound to be a testament to that.

Rating: 85 / 100